In our previous blog here at the Quality 5.0 Forum we describe the five phases of the quality movement. It is increasingly clear that we are facing a paradigm shift where Quality 5.0 describes the needs and challenges that define the fifth wave of the quality movement: "Societal satisfaction" shows the way where customers' and stakeholders' choices are increasingly about decisions that contribute to social, environmental and economic sustainability for society.

In a time of geopolitical instability and trade wars, lost glaciers being unveiled with memorials, national employee surveys showing increasing mental health issues in younger workforces, it can be frustrating; the question remains: How should businesses be managed and governed in the turbulent world we now live in?

Looking east again

The latest technological developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning have allowed us to start to see new amazing opportunities, but also risks and threats. In some areas, we have already seen evidence of technological intelligence overtaking human intelligence. This leads us to ask new questions: what role should technology play in the future and what role should humans play?

In times like these, we need all the support and new ideas we can get and, as in the past, the quality movement has been significantly helped by Japanese developments. Once again, we look to the east, where the Japanese government has formulated and initiated Society 5.0, which involves a significant transformation of Japanese society. Japanese Society 5.0 is about how people can make better use of the possibilities of digitalization, artificial intelligence and machine learning - but on human terms!

Japanese Society 5.0 is about how humans can make better use of the possibilities of digitalization, artificial intelligence and machine learning - but on human terms!

As Sweden faces the challenge of caring for an ageing population with fewer taxpayers, Japan is seeing a clear break in the trend of slowing population growth. Japan has faced several recessions over almost 30 years, with Society 5.0 described as the most significant transformation of Japanese society at all levels. As Industry 4.0 stands for a digital transformation in the manufacturing industry and high-tech development, Society 5.0 shows the direction of a collaborative society at all levels - on people's terms.

Public, private and civil society cooperation

Both Society 5.0 and Quality 5.0 are about societal transformations where collaboration between public institutions, private businesses and civil society is more important than ever. What is equally important is that the transformation is not about digitalization per se - equally important is that the transformative societal transformation takes place on people's terms.

We think it sounds appealing - what do you think?